Property

Andy Burnham launches £300k scheme to stop ‘unlawful’ illegal evictions in Manchester

"The days of bad landlords renting out unsafe and unfit homes are coming to an end."

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 20th May 2024

Andy Burnham has launched a £300,000 pilot scheme aimed at tackling “unlawful” illegal evictions in Manchester.

It’s just one part of Greater Manchester‘s first step towards protecting tenants in all types of rented accommodation, and empowering those who feel “trapped in substandard housing“.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) says it plans to “rewire the rental system” in our region, so that it “works for people, not against them”, and to support this, the Mayor announced last week that a £600,000 package of measures has now been set out to help tenants clamp down on rogue landlords.

After Mr Burnham declared back in January that 2024 would be the year Greater Manchester “gets serious about housing”, the ‘Good Landlord Charter’ is set to be rolled out later this year.

The Good Landlord Charter is the first of its kind in the UK, will cover social and private rented sector housing, and will work with landlords who are willing to improve the standard of the properties they rent out.

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It’s aiming to set out “clear, practical, and accessible” standards to drive up the quality of renting in Greater Manchester. 

According to GMCA, recent data has shown that,’ throughout Greater Manchester, around 23% (56,000) of private rented homes, and just under 17% (82,000) of all rented homes, do not meet the legal Decent Homes Standard’.

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But since many tenants feel unable to raise complaints for fear of eviction, it’s thought the true number of substandard rentals may be as high as 40%.

This is why the Mayor has announced two more new pilot projects that will come into effect over the next 12 months.

To support the Good Landlord Charter, £300,000 will be invested in the Renters (Reform) Bill and introduce a new duty on local authorities that’ll help them tackle unlawful evictions and harassment of tenants by setting up a new team of housing law experts who’ll “provide advocacy and support” to renters, and “strengthen enforcement capacity”.  

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Andy Burnham launches £300k scheme to stop ‘unlawful’ illegal evictions in Manchester / Credit: Rockpanel | GMCA

When the Renters (Reform) Bill is made law, it’ll become illegal for landlords to rent out homes that don’t meet the ‘Decent Homes Standard’, and because of this, £150,000 is also being made available to support a new pilot with Oldham Council that’ll explore how GMCA, the central Government, and local Councils can work together to claim back housing benefit from landlords who are letting out substandard homes.

“Everyone across our city-region deserves a good, safe, and secure home,” declared Mayor Andy Burnham as he launched the pilot schemes last week.

“It should be the starting point for a good life. It should not damage your health or be a source of concern and anxiety, but sadly, too many people in Greater Manchester still find themselves in those situations, and are trapped in poorly maintained properties and in fear of unlawful eviction.

“But the days of bad landlords renting out unsafe and unfit homes are coming to an end.

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“This new right to a property check for all residents, backed up with new measures to protect renters and take action against rogue landlords, will empower people across Greater Manchester and put us on course to become the UK’s only Housing First city-region.”

Featured Image – Super Straho (via Unsplash)

Property

Derelict Manchester office block to become ‘vital’ accommodation for homeless families

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A derelict former office block in Manchester is set to become vital accommodation for homeless families in the region.

Manchester City Council has announced that, subject to planning approval, new temporary accommodation for dozens of homeless families will be created on the site of a derelict former office block in south Manchester, off Nell Lane in Chorlton.

The Council acquired the 1.1 acre site last month with the support of the Government’s Local Authority Housing Fund.

The initiative – which is part of wider plans to boost the city’s stock of quality temporary accommodation – will see self-contained two-bedroom accommodation created for around 55 homeless families built where former NHS offices, Mauldeth House, currently stand.

Mauldeth House has been empty for several years now at this point, and had become somewhat of a ‘blight’ on the neighbourhood, attracting anti-social behaviour along the way and being targeted by squatters – but with the plans for the new accommodation, this could change for the better.

The site, and therefore the new accommodation, is said to be ‘ideally located’ for families, as it’s close to shops, schools, public transport, leisure facilities, and Chorlton Park.

The new accommodation will see families supported by a specialist team based on site to help them move on as quickly as possible into permanent settled tenancies, which is, of course, the long-term goal for many.

The Mauldeth House initiative is cited as being one example of the Council’s drive to increase its temporary accommodation stock across the city to reduce the number of out-of-area placements.

Other successful examples of this initiative include Mariana House in Whalley Range, and The Poplars in Rusholme.

It also comes after it was announced last month that homeless children in Greater Manchester, particularly those who are placed in temporary accommodation out of area for their school, will now get free bus travel to and from school.

“Mauldeth House is a great example of how we can put derelict properties to good use to benefit those experiencing homelessness, as well as making our neighbourhood look better,” explained Deputy Council Leader, Cllr Joanna Midgley.

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“We are tackling homelessness on many fronts, the most important one being prevention, but we also need an increased supply of good quality temporary accommodation within the city so that if people do become homeless they are not uprooted from their social support networks.

“One of the ways we are doing this is through the innovative use of existing sites whether they are council owned or we are able to acquire them, as in the case of Mauldeth House.”

Featured Image – Manchester City Council

Property

The plans to build 107 new homes in Manchester city centre – including affordable housing

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Ferrous is a new development in Piccadilly East in Manchester

A new community of homes – including affordable housing – is on the way to Manchester city centre.

Fresh new images have been unveiled of Ferrous, a brand-new 107-home rental scheme that will be built in Piccadilly East later this year.

The new development from Capital&Centric will include 15% affordable housing, as well as a new pocket park.

The new scheme is partly thanks to a £1.6m investment from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which will see a previously underused brownfield site regenerated.

The site near Manchester Piccadilly was previously owned by Transport for Greater Manchester.

Although the planning consent didn’t require an affordable housing, Capital&Centric has committed to delivering around 15% of the new homes as affordable.

Alongside the pocket park, there’ll be a small kiosk designed as a launchpad for an independent food or drink operator.

Piccadilly East was named by The Sunday Times as one of the UK’s most up-and-coming places to live, thanks to developments like Crusader Mill and Neptune Mill, plus the landmark ‘Jenga’ Leonardo Hotel.

Tom Wilmot, Joint Managing Director at Capital&Centric, said: “The GMCA funding is helping unlock new homes on a challenging city centre site while allowing us to deliver affordable homes as part of the scheme.

“We’ve also carved out space for greenery and an independent operator because small pockets of public space make a massive difference. In a post-industrial city you have to go big on planting. Kampus showed that and we want to create a mini version here.”

Construction on Ferrous is expected to start later this year with completion anticipated in 2028.

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Featured image: Supplied

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